Science Glance
A well-worn expression among oceanographers and others who explore the watery depths of planet Earth is that we humans “know the surface of Mars better than our ocean floors.” Covering more than 70 percent of the world’s surface, oceans are notoriously difficult to study—not to mention pretty inhospitable to any creatures sans gills.
Case in point: Scientists from Tokyo University and Hokkaido University in Japan stumbled across some mysterious jet-black eggs while piloting a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in the Pacific Ocean at a depth of roughly 6,200 meters (or 3.85 miles).
This is the maximum depth of the abyssopelagic zone, which is the deepest layer of most of the ocean—hadopelagic zones are technically deeper, but only fill deep trenches. Any biological discovery in this zone is immensely important, as the life cycles of creatures living there are largely unknown.
Unsure what these eggs were, University of Tokyo marine researcher Yasunori Kano—who was at the controls of the ROV at the time—opted to retrieve a sample of the eggs for further analysis topside.
Sometime on Oct. 21 of last year, high above the Arctic Circle, a lone missile shot skyward from a Russian island.
‘This would have been a wild dream a year ago,” says Andrea Ceccolini, standing on Arctic sea ice just a 4-mile snowmobile ride from the Inuit town of Cambridge Bay, northern Canada. To his left are sky blue ponds of meltwater created in the last few days by a sun that no longer sets in the high north summer. To his right, the sea ice is still a brilliant white, the light dusting of snow on top continuing to sparkle.
Time to look up, stargazers – there’s going to be a planetary "kiss" on June 9.
Standing in his laboratory, Harvard professor Sean Eddy gazes at a row of vacant work stations. More than a year ago, this lab was filled with over a dozen researchers. On a given day they might be working independently on analyzing genomic sequencing or gathered around the group table, drinking coffee and helping each other troubleshoot questions about genomic data from different species.
Brilliant splashes of green, purple and pink will streak the night sky for many stargazers in North America on Saturday and Sunday night, as energized particles from space collide with the Earth's atmosphere to create the dazzling effect, known as the Northern Lights or aurora borealis.
Officials are investigating whether a huge fire that destroyed a top marine science laboratory at the University of South Florida may have been caused by a lightning strike.
